Building of the World Trade Center

Transferred from 1/2" open reel.

00:00Copy video clip URL The film opens on an office and a man can be heard yelling. Out the windows a construction site can be seen situated amongst downtown New York City. T

00:47Copy video clip URL The tape cuts to a shot which pans along some art displayed on a wall.

01:12Copy video clip URL An architect walks through some of the transit area’s design features — which include a restaurant, newsstand, restrooms, etcetera.

02:02Copy video clip URL A view down on the worksite is shown, and the camera pans up the height of the two towers, each at different stages of construction. The structures at ground level are then shown, as the noise of construction abounds.

02:48Copy video clip URL The camera follows several men in hard hats as they walk through the construction site.

03:40Copy video clip URL A stunning view straight up one of the towers is shown. It’s followed by a view from underneath some of the bare steel structures within said tower. The camera follows people through the dark underbelly of the building, as they discuss various aspects of the project.

05:30Copy video clip URL A closeup of a train track under construction is shown, panning around to show the rest of the tracks nearby.

06:35Copy video clip URL The darkness of a new scene is shattered by a passing subway train. People nearby continue to discuss various logistics involving the trains and other things.

07:45Copy video clip URL A man welding is shown briefly before the camera cuts again to a service elevator which goes up the North tower. The scene oddly repeats itself, an artifact of the tape. As they ride upwards, the people in the elevator discuss where the stairwells and elevators will be placed in the finished building. They ride upwards for some time.

10:30Copy video clip URL Floors fly by outside the elevator, as they ascend through some of the towers 110 floors. The operator calls out the floors: “92, 92, 94, 95…” all the way to 98, where they stop.

11:40Copy video clip URL Everybody disembarks from the elevator, and walks around inspecting the progress on the 98th floor. The camera looks out of the tower onto the Hudson and the Statue of Liberty. Another view shows Brooklyn, before panning down to a view of the South tower — which is still under construction. Views of neighboring buildings, roads, and rivers continue. The Port of New York, as well as one of its Airports can also be seen.

14:10Copy video clip URL Spinning around inside the tower, the camera shows a group of people looking out of it before turning outside again to show a panoramic view of the city.

14:46Copy video clip URL The tape becomes a cacophony of wind noise as the camera shows the view from the other side of the tower, including Newark, NJ.

15:46Copy video clip URL The tape cuts to a view of a dumpster fire, as the camera struggles to focus. Several workers warm themselves by the flames as the camera pans across their grinning faces.

The cameraman can be heard speaking to somebody as he continues to pan around the faces of the workers.

17:42Copy video clip URL The group again disembarks from the elevator, this time back at ground level. The cameraman moves around, showing various parts of the construction sites — including views up each of the towers.

19:20Copy video clip URL A slow upwards pan follows an architectural line of one tower from its base up into the sky. The camera continues to pan around that building and the other.

20:26Copy video clip URL The cameraman sets the camera down, as it continues to record, and puts his coat on.

20:47Copy video clip URL Tape ends.